Integrated approach

Federal highways are the backbone of Russia's road network. They account for a significant share of passenger and freight transportation by road. That is why safety on these roads is one of the main tasks of the state. Izvestia" found out how the State Automobile Inspectorate and road workers solve it.

The statistics is inexorable

According to the Ministry of Transport of Russia, the total length of highways in our country is more than 1.5 million kilometers. At the same time, federal highways (FAD) account for only about 64 thousand kilometers of them, which is about 4.3% of all highways in Russia. Despite this, the share of accidents that occur on these highways is quite high, as noted in the Main Department for Road Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

For 11 months of this year, according to the operational data of accident statistics, on federal highways there were a little more than 11 thousand accidents (-8.5% compared to the same period last year), which is 9.2% of all auto accidents registered in the country since the beginning of the year. Thus, despite the fact that the share of FADs in the total length of Russian highways is small, they account for almost a quarter (24.3%) of all traffic fatalities and every tenth injured person (10.6%). Thus, for the specified period in accidents on federal highways almost 3.2 thousand people died and more than 15.8 thousand received various injuries. Compared to the same period last year, these indicators have decreased by 8 and 10% respectively, emphasize the Russian State Traffic Inspectorate.

The decrease in accident rates was a consequence of the special attention paid by the State Automobile Inspectorate, the Federal Road Agency responsible for the FAD, and the Avtodor State Corporation, which manages toll highways, to highway safety issues, the agencies emphasize.

Separate flows

The Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor) emphasizes that one of the important measures to improve safety on toll highways is their engineering arrangement and reconstruction.

- Such measures include not only timely renewal of road surface, but also expansion of the busiest highways, construction of new interchanges at different levels, installation of modern elements of road infrastructure, - told "Izvestia" in the press service of Rosavtodor.

In addition, an important factor contributing to road safety is providing drivers with the opportunity to rest in multifunctional road service zones. Many of them are combined with gas stations and catering facilities, so motorists can not only refuel their cars, but also have a snack and buy goods needed on the road. It is important that such zones are located on the adjacent territory, and therefore parking in them is absolutely safe.

According to statistics, one of the most severe types of traffic accidents are head-on collisions. Such accidents almost always lead to tragedies with dead and injured people. Therefore, Rosavtodor considers the most effective measure to reduce the number of such accidents to be the physical separation of traffic flows, eliminating the possibility of driving into the oncoming lane. In 2024-2025 only in the Moscow region it is planned to install such barriers on the sections of FAD with a total length of more than 100 kilometers, said in Rosavtodor.

- Separation of traffic flows is one of the most effective ways to prevent driving into the oncoming lane. This reduces the risk of accidents with the most severe consequences," said Igor Morzharetto, a member of the Presidium of the Public Council under the Russian Interior Ministry.

According to him, the installation of lighting at the most dangerous areas - at crosswalks, near road junctions, exits and exits to the road - is an extremely important direction in terms of FAD development.

Engineering for safety

An important area of safety improvement is the introduction of intelligent systems into the road infrastructure, Rosavtodor notes. For example, an intelligent autonomous complex is installed at unregulated crosswalks, which automatically turns on an LED board above the road when people approach the zebra. This additionally warns motorists of the need to reduce speed and stop to allow pedestrians crossing the roadway, emphasized in Rosavtodor.

A similar system with thermal imaging cameras and infrared cameras operates on the sections of the highway M1 "Belarus" in Smolensk region, where there is a risk of wild animals entering the roadway. A similar complex is now being installed on the A107 road in the Moscow region, said the press service of the State Corporation "Avtodor".

More than 430 information boards installed on Avtodor's highways are aimed at warning drivers about any dangers such as a broken down car standing on the road, accidents or repair works, the state company told Izvestia. Also, in order to improve safety on the network of high-speed roads managed by Avtodor, more than 3 thousand video cameras monitoring the situation and almost 1.4 thousand signs of variable information, which inform drivers about the need to adjust the speed limit on a particular section of the highway depending on the operational situation and weather conditions, have been installed. Avtodor separately emphasizes the contribution to road safety of emergency commissioners, who are on duty 24 hours a day on the highways.

- Now 140 crews of emergency commissioners work on the roads of the state company. They not only help drivers who find themselves in a difficult situation on the highway, but also promptly go to the cars that have broken down and stood on the side of the road, to the accident, fencing off the dangerous area and warning other motorists about the obstacle in advance. They are in constant communication with traffic police crews," the Avtodor press service said.

An innovative engineering method aimed at improving safety is a special marking that tells drivers the safe distance to be kept in order to avoid a collision. Also this summer on the M11 "Neva" highway, as part of an experiment, for the first time in Russia special transverse noise strips were applied, when passing through which at the permitted speed the tires of the car "play" the melody "Kalinka-malinka".

Watchful eye

The systems of photo-video registration of traffic violations also make their contribution to the improvement of safety on federal highways, the State Automobile Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia notes. Moreover, taking into account the new requirements that came into force on September 1 this year, the State Automobile Inspectorate together with road owners analyzed the places of their installation, some of the devices were moved to new places to comply with the conditions of their placement, prescribed in the legislation.

- Photo-video fixation cameras are an effective preventive measure aimed at compliance with traffic rules by drivers and, as a consequence, aimed at reducing the number of accidents, the number of people killed and injured in them. By law, they are placed on the most dangerous road sections. Practice, confirmed by statistics, shows that after the installation of the complex on this or that section of the highway the number of car accidents there is significantly reduced, - told "Izvestia" deputy head of the department of propaganda of the State Automobile Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, police colonel Anton Belan.

Preventive work

Separation barriers, lighting, cameras, modern technological and innovative solutions in equipping federal highways are certainly necessary. But no less important in improving safety is preventive work with road users - users of federal highways, emphasize the State Automobile Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

- With the active development of motor tourism and changes in logistics chains, more and more drivers use federal highways at any time of the year. Therefore, it is extremely important to constantly remind them of the need to strictly observe traffic rules, the correct and safe choice of speed, the need to comply with the work and rest regime, the rules of transportation of children, the prevention of rash and dangerous maneuvers, including overtaking, - said Anton Belan.

As "Izvestia" was told in the State Corporation "Avtodor" and Rosavtodor, such work together with the State Automobile Inspectorate is carried out constantly.

- Road workers together with traffic policemen organize regular joint raids, during which they talk to drivers, reminding them about compliance with traffic rules, - emphasized the press service of the Federal Road Agency.

During this year dozens of such preventive measures, campaigns and actions aimed at improving the culture of driving and the level of legal awareness of drivers were carried out, the agency noted. Thus, during the vacation period, road workers and traffic inspectors constantly remind motorists about the need for rest on the road, tell them how to properly transport children in the car. During such events drivers and passengers receive not only leaflets and brochures with reminders of safety rules, but also retroreflective vests, and in hot weather - and drinking water, which will definitely not be superfluous in the trip.

For example, in August, in Nizhny Novgorod Region, traffic inspectors together with road workers held preventive talks with drivers traveling along the M7 Volga highway. Together with car owners, the experts analyzed examples of accidents caused by drunk drivers and tested the knowledge of motorists.

A similar event was held on the border of the Novosibirsk Region and Kuzbass. Participants of the action - drivers and passengers - were able to check the technical condition of the car, refresh their memory of first aid skills for victims of road accidents, and see the equipment of the traffic police patrol car.

Similar social campaigns and preventive activities are carried out by Avtodor specialists.

Federal highways are the backbone of the entire road network of our country: they connect major cities, they carry a significant part of passenger and cargo transportation by automobiles. Maintaining FADs in a standardized condition to ensure safety is one of the primary tasks assigned to road owners. And in order to maintain the tendency to reduce the accident rate on these roads and improve their safety, joint efforts of the police and road workers are necessary, emphasize the Russian State Automobile Inspectorate.

The material was prepared as part of the implementation of the federal project "Road Safety" of the national project "Safe Quality Roads".